Thimble for shoe-lasts.



FRANCIS E. BENTON, OF STOUGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

THIMBLE FOR SHOELASTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed August 12, 1915. Serial No. 45,185.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS E. BENTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stoughton, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thimbles for Shoe-Lasts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in thimbles for shoe lasts, and it consists in the details of construction as will be more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the'heel'section of a last showing the thimble in place. Fig. 2 is a view of the thimble, and Fig. 3 1s a view in longitudinal section thereof.

1 represents the last and 2 the thimble set into the last. This thimble is made from bar metal cut into proper length and then drilled leaving a solid integral bottom 3 of a thickness sufficient to withstand all blows to which the last may be subjected without breaking. The top or open end of the thimble is flanged outwardly and downwardly as at 4 so that the free edge of the flange will bite into the wood or fibre top of the last and assist in preventing the latter from splitting and also prevent the thimble from turning.

/ At the present time, the only practical means in use for preventing lasts from splitting is the rivet passing transversely through the heel section under and adjacent to the inner end of the thimble. Owing to the fact that the bottoms of the drawn thimbles heretofore used are too thin to withstand the blows to which they are subjected, they are now broken by the contact with the jack pins, thus allowing the thimbles to be forced into the last and against the rivet. The contact of the rivet with the thimble soon cuts into the latter and gradually shortens it until the jack pin contacts with the rivet and when this occurs the blows fall on the rivet, and the splitting of the last naturally results. By using a thimble having a thick bottom integral with the thimble, the bottom of the thimble is stronger than the rivet, consequently this trouble cannot occur.

The jack pin which fits into the thimble is simply a steel bolt on which the last is mounted while leveling and heeling the shoe. In order to provide means for holding the thimble onto the jack pin while drawing the shoe from the last, I leave the inside of the thimble roughened so that its frictional contact with a roughened. or even a plain smooth jack pin will be sufficient to hold the thimble on the jack pin. This roughened interior surface may be formed by spirally grooving the interior of the thimble or in any other preferred manner.

By providing the open end of the thimble with a downwardly rolled flange or edge, the latter embeds itself in the wood, leather,

fibre or other top of the last and prevents the thimble from turning or becoming loose and also prevents it from being driven to any extent into the last beyond its proper position in the latter, and by roughening the inner face of the thimble the frictional contact of such surface with the jack pin will hold the thimble and la t on the pin while removing the shoe from the last.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A last thimble made from a bar metal cut to proper length and drilled, leaving a solid inner end of greater thickness than the wall of the thimble, the said thimble having an integral outwardly and downwardly projecting flange around the entire outer edge thereof.

2. A last thimble made from'bar metal cut to proper length and drilled leaving a solid inner end of greater thickness than the wall of the thimble, having an integral outwardly projectin flange around the entire outer edge thereo and a roughened inner face. i j In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS E. BENTON.

W'itnesses CHAS. E. TODD, WILLIAM W. RISK.

at this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Intent.

Washington, D. 0."

the said thimble 

